First Relationship Perils
by bettercrazythanboring
Summary: Jinoochy fluff, occasionally slight angst, family relationships; Ikki is basically a third main character. Takes place three years after the show, no Equalists in sight. Reviews very much appreciated!
1. First Date Perils

Jinora did not think of herself as a particularly impulsive person. Sure, there was the occasional unscheduled game of Pai Sho, a book in the market which screamed_"Buy me! Buy me! Ignore the amount of gold pieces your father has spent on books for you already! Buy me!"_or the rare times she indulged herself in an unexpected afternoon of games with Meelo and her youngest brother who had just turned three, allowing herself to feel like a kid again.

But she'd never done anything like this.

Standing in her mother's room in front of the mirror, dressed out of her usual airbender outfit for once, she felt awkward, silly and, oh, the horror,_nervous__._

"Oh, sweetie, you look lovely!" her mother said, walking in.

"I look like a... like a..." She couldn't even find the right word. That _never_ happened. "I don't look like me. I don't feel like me. This was a bad idea. I'm gonna go change now."

Pema caught her daughter before she bolted out the door and looked into the beautiful, scared eyes that were almost on the same level as hers.

"Honey, it's perfectly normal to be nervous before your first date," she assured the girl, "I remember I felt so nervous I nearly threw up. By the color of your skin, I think it runs in the family. But you can't let the fear overwhelm you. I know it seems like a very big deal when you're young, but honestly, it'll be just like spending time together like you always do, just with more butterflies running about. If it was someone you'd just met, you'd have cause to be nervous... and, to be quite frank, your father probably wouldn't let you go anyway. But you _know_ Skoochy. And you've been on the racetrack a dozen times. And you look great."

She kissed the leather-clad girl on the cheek and gave her a small shove out the other door, the one that led to their "backyard" (which was really the edge of the island).

"Now go have a great time, remember to be back by sunset and then then tell me all the details," she smirked.

"Thanks, mom. I'll try."

At that moment in time Skoochy was on the other side of Republic City, standing in front of a very similar mirror in Mr. Sato's study in Sato Mansion.

Oh, _why_ had he thought it would be a good idea to ask Jinora out? He had just thought she'd like a spin on the new contraption that he was preparing for the race season with. Quite a strange invention - like a bicycle, but without any pedaling. It was already popular among the youth racers while the older ones stuck to what they were used to; Skoochy was very proud of being a part of the first wave of Satocycle racers. He was sure it would become a legendary race one day. So he thought he'd take Jinora to see what it was like before it got incredibly popular. He could have made it just a friendly gesture.

_Why hadn't he?_

His palms were sweating, his hair wouldn't stay put and his driver outfit itched. That outfit was his prized possession. It never itched.

"How's it going, Skooch?" Asami's head appeared in the doorway.

"Could you beat me up?" he asked hopefully, "With blood and everything and then tomorrow I can go to Air Temple Island and say I was mugged and left unconscious on the street and then never show my face there again."

"If I know that family, they'll turn the city upside down looking for that mugger, so I'm thinking no."

"Oh, come on, Sami, I don't wanna go. What if she thinks I'm a bad driver? What if we don't have anything to talk about?_ What if I crash the Satocycle?_"

"Yeah, because the junior champion two times running who's never even popped a tire is likely to crash the most easily steerable vehicle the world has ever seen," she said, rolling her eyes, "Skoochy, you'll be fine. This is your element. A little worrying is healthy, but don't for a second think I'm gonna let you stand Jinora up. She deserves better," she said, disappearing, "And you are worthy of her," came her voice from the hall, "Just in case you were wondering."

The boy pursed his lips and, after a moment, turned back to the mirror and tried one last time to smooth his hair.

It was absolutely hopeless.

Skoochy was waiting at the entrance of the racetrack, not quite knowing what to do with his hands. Or where to look. Or whether he should just put Jinora on a Satocycle and start driving or make some chit chat first.

They should write a handbook for these things, he thought to himself.

Twenty yards away Jinora took in the silhouette of the young man - leaning against the gate, one hand in pocket, the other touching his neck, hair standing up in tufts like it always did and a superbly fitted driver uniform - and couldn't help but think that in this moment, he looked too handsome for his own good. The butterflies in her stomach now seemed to be migrating in packs, but she took a deep breath and approached him anyway.

"Hey, Jinora," Skoochy said, equal parts terrified of the next few hours and relieved he finally had something to do.

"Hi," she said with the slightest smile.

"So, uh..." he started, scratching his head for his mind seemed to be entirely blank, "You've never ridden a Satocycle, right?"

"No," she said, "Truthfully, I don't even know that much about them. They haven't been out long enough for there to be publicly available information."

"No worries," he said easily, "If you want, I could show you how it works. I've been to the factory and saw one being assembled; it was awesome."

"Sure."

They spent the next half hour going over the many parts a Satocycle had, Skoochy explaining everything in as much detail as he himself knew and Jinora listening intently to every word; he was a little surprised to realize lack of knowledge about cars on her part did not equal a lack of interest. He'd always assumed she was more into books than mechanics (unlike her sister Ikki, who was well on her way to dismantling entire vehicles and then rebuilding them by hand), but apparently knowledge was knowledge regardless of what form it took.

It just made him like her more.

When the time came to sit on the bike itself, he triple-checked all her safety buckles, helmet and the brakes on the bike, and Jinora's amused yet stern look of "stop fussing, it'll be fine" was the only thing stopping him from doing a body pat on her to check for holes in her uniform, as creepy as that sounded.

Finally they were on the bike, Jinora's arms wrapped around the boy's waist (a very distracting feeling), and he started it, going extra slow to let her get used to the feeling of wind blowing in her face. Unfortunately for Skoochy, what he in his mind-wipe state had neglected to remember was that Jinora was an _airbender._ She had probably been _born_ with wind blowing in her face.

She didn't say anything, but so far the ride was quite unimpressive. She experienced the same feeling, only even better, on a daily basis when using her glider. As one of the only six airbenders in the world, she felt her opinion on the matter wouldn't matter much, but she was beginning to think the Satocycle was greatly exaggerated. Then again, maybe non-airbenders weren't used to this feeling like she was.

But then he sped up, feeling her dissatisfaction in the way her arms tightened around him, and all her uncertain thoughts vanished. This was actually quite wonderful. The motor let out a rumbling sound that was empowering rather than annoying, the scenery flashing by her was fascinating to watch and the slight feeling of falling when Skoochy did sharp turns was more exhilarating than anything she'd ever felt.

She could definitely see the appeal.

The racetrack was designed to have lots of terrain changes, with both twists and constant uphill/downhill action, and it had several forks which led to different roads. Skoochy navigated them seemingly effortlessly (Sami had been right; this _was_ his element) and never took the same route twice, so that even though they drove for well over an hour, it never became boring for her, each new lap presenting a new kind of experience and excitement. When it was time to end the adventure, Skoochy pulled the front wheel of the Satocycle up in the air, driving only on the back one, and Jinora let out an involuntary squeal. How was he not scared doing that? This was no glider; it wasn't something one could manipulate to advantage if a mistake occurred. This was a metal machine and if it crashed, he would surely not be able to react in time to not sustain any injuries. She could, her reflexes were sharp and so she viewed this new style of driving more exhilarating than scary, but she wondered how Skoochy could not think it was too dangerous for a fifteen-year-old non-bender boy to drive like that.

When he pulled into the garage, Jinora excitedly hopped off the bike, talking so fast the resemblance to Ikki was eerie.

"Skoochy, that was amazing! Do you drive like that every day? How long have you been riding the bikes? When is the first race? Can I come? Can I learn to drive one myself? Do you think you'll be a racer most of your life? Can they theoretically go even faster? Is there a new model in the works? _Skoochy, why aren't you totally blown away by that ride?_"

He laughed.

"I don't think I can remember all of your questions, but, uh... the first race is in a few weeks, yes, you can come, and I'm not squealing over the bike 'cause I usually go even faster."

Her face fell as if accusatory and he rushed to explain.

"It's just that the bike isn't very good at supporting two people," he said, "It's meant for one and while it's a very good design and can still drive two people, it can't go as fast. So yeah, they can go faster and a new model should solve the multiple people problem. I think. The details are being securely kept under wraps."

"Oh. Well, anyway, that was great. I'm really glad I got to experience that. And on such a quiet night too. This place is usually crawling with racers and fans alike."

"There's some big party at the Cabbage Corp. headquarters and everyone's invited. I'm not much of a party person, so I figured I'd use the quiet and I'm glad I did." He smiled.

"I'm glad you did, too," she said, pausing momentarily, "You must be starving. Want to grab a bite to eat?"

It was well past sunset when Jinora finally landed in the backyard and folded her glider, running fingers through her windswept hair. Pema came out to greet her immediately, but she barely managed to get a syllable out before Jinora interrupted her.

"I know I'm late, Mom, and I'm sorry, and I'll deal with Dad, but I'm not in the mood for lectures right now, so if you'll excuse me I'll be in my room."

"Jinora, wait! I didn't come here to lecture you, I was going to ask how it went. Remember when you promised to tell me?"

"Oh," Jinora muttered, "It went... well. Really well," she said, smiling, "Except this one thing, but.."

"What?" Pema asked, eyes lighting up. The woman lived vicariously through her daughters.

"Oh, it's no big deal, I'll figure it out. But I'm kind of tired now, so if you don't mind..." she trailed off, slowly, backing away and into her quarters.

Once there, she hopped on the bed and fell backwards, letting it catch her, allowing peace to take over, and basked in the afterglow of an amazing night. She was glad she'd gone; very glad. The drive alone would have been worth it (she'd have to work on achieving such speeds with her glider), but the following meal and walk through the city had been even better. Three years of knowing Skoochy and she'd never realized he had a passion for languages. He was fluent in even more than she and that was saying something. She remembered each word, each smile, each gesture and couldn't help but grin like Granduncle Sokka when he was on cactus juice.

Well, except for that one thing.

And with that thought, her eyes opened and she looked at her dim room, wondering what she should do. Her eyes set on her pet messenger hawk Koko playing outside whom she had rescued from a pair of cruel boys a year previously. Hmm, yes. That would do very well.

She always liked to have a plan in place before going to sleep. So she took a piece of paper and began to write.

Skoochy was having a similar conversation with Asami.

"As your legal guardian, I think I'm entitled to a play-by-play of all the events that occurred tonight, included but not limited to hand-holding, jokes and embarrassing incidents," she teased the boy.

"Sami, drop it," he said, laughing exasperatedly, "I had a good time. Thank you for pushing me to go. But I think this is where I need to draw the line on our weird parent-sibling-friend-confidante sharing thing."

"Humph. You'll cave eventually," she decided and left, but not before giving him another peck on the cheek which he made a grimace at but secretly enjoyed and she knew it so she tried to sneak them in as often as possible. Even two years after she had legally adopted him he wouldn't talk about his childhood and how he'd ended up on the streets, but she suspected he needed periodic assurance that someone loved him, that someone cared.

Alone, he sat in Mr. Sato's huge leather chair in his study. He had no idea why for the man had had hurt so many of his friends and was currently in jail for assault and attempted murder, but the chair always helped him think. Made him feel like someone who was capable of coherent thought. And so he let his mind work.

He almost fell asleep in the process, but fifteen minutes later he had the answer - _Moonlight Punch Lady!_ It was obvious, really. She was an advice giver for Republic Gazette, a person shrouded in mystery who had saved and/or created countless relationships. No one knew who she was (or even if she was female), but her reputation preceded her; rumor was it that not even the editors at Gazette knew of her identity, that she sent her own hawks after the questions in the morning and returned the answers in the evening with no personal interaction.

Skoochy got a piece of paper and one of those new inventions called "pens" and began writing.

Bolin waltzed into the library on Air Temple Island like many many times before and found Jinora in her favorite spot, reading a book about mechanics.

"All right, o, young one, do tell Master Bolin about the predicament you currently find yourself in that drove you to seek wisdom from me at eight in the morning."

"It's nine-thirty, Bo."

"Well, you _sought_ it from me at eight. Koko kept screeching until I couldn't take it anymore and had to get up just to get him to shut his trap," he pointed out, "Didn't your grandfather Korra teach you that the morning is evil?"

"Again with the Avatar jokes," Jinora complained, sighing, "I thought we were done with that."

"I will _never_ turn away a goldmine," he said, "But seriously, what's up?"

"Well... I was kind of on a date with Skoochy last night," she started.

"I know; he told me the minute you said yes. What, did it not go well?"

"No, it was great!" she quickly said, "There was just a moment when we were saying goodbye that turned out, uh..."

"Do go on," he prompted.

"Well, we were kind of standing there, not really knowing what to do and then I went for a hug and he extended his arm at the same time and then he leaned in, trying to get his hand out from between the two of us and I tried to step back, but my foot caught in a tile and I tripped forward and I sort of accidentally kissed his ear and I'm pretty sure his lips touched the corner of my mouth at some point."

"I see."

"Yes."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'awkward'."

"Essentially. I think we silently made a pact to never speak of it again 'cause we rushed off immediately after, but the main thing I wanted to ask you was_how do you act in these situations?_And how long after going out with someone is it okay to kiss them? Is there a guidebook? Some unspoken rule? You've gone out with a lot of girls;_ tell me._"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, Jin. There is no guidebook or unspoken rule, you just gotta _go with floooow__._"

"You do realize who you're talking to, correct?" she asked dryly.

"For a second there I'd forgotten. You were suddenly replaced by a starry-eyed girl who acted age-appropriate and did not have all the answers; it's an honest mistake, could happen to anyone."

"Then help me."

"Are you sure we should even be talking about this? I mean, you're only thirteen... I doubt your father would appr-"

"My father knows full well I was on a date and seeing as his first kiss happened when he was nine, I don't consider him to be an authority on the matter."

"Okay, wow. Nine? Really? With whom?"

"I did not ask._Help me._"

"Fine, fine. I feel like based on the evidence you've provided he seems open to the prospect of kissing. I could ask him if you want-"

"No! Then he'll know I said something!"

"Well, you never know, I could act sneakily..."

"Bo, you're about as sneaky as a turtleduck who just spotted bread."

"Am not. I'm stealthy and agile. Like Pabu. But anyway, I think you just need to figure out whether you want to kiss him, whether he wants to kiss you at that moment, then gather your guts and do it. Warning, though: first times are usually sloppy."

"I've heard that," she said, "I just don't really even know what to say the next time I see him."

"If you really made a pact, then act... _natural_."

Three rooms over Ikki welcomed Koko into her room and took out the roll of scrolls from his small backpack. Gently petting him and treating him to his favorite seeds, she took out the first letter and started reading._"Dear Moonlight Lady..."_ Oh, couldn't they ever get the name right? She'd been called everything from the Moonlight Mistress to the Puncher Damsel to the Moon Spirit Woman to Ask Lady and, on one awesome occasion, The Painted Lady, which was flattering since honoring GranGran was the main reason for the name choice.

One of the askers cheated; she never answered those. As knowledgeable as she was about relationships from watching her parents (and Lin) and the various teenagers in her life interact and taking mental notes almost always, she was still stuck in that idealist phase where cheating is a deal-breaker and cheaters go to hell. Realistically, she knew the real world was much more complex and gray, but she was still a kid, dammit; she was allowed to be a little naive.

Oh, a girl was trying to muster up the courage to ask her crush out. Another young woman had impulsively kissed a man twice her age. A guy had had to leave Republic City unexpectedly for several weeks and now his girlfriend wouldn't talk to him. Nothing new; this was really getting quite boring. Until...

_"Dear Moonlight Punch Lady,_

_I am writing to you not because I don't have anyone else to burden with my problems, but because I'm too embarrassed to do so. See, there's this girl that I've really liked for a while now and we finally went out. It went great, but there was a weird and awkward and confusing moment (for both of us, not just me) after which we both quickly ran off. I've wanted to take her out ever since I first __met her and I'm afraid I blew it. Although I suppose it was more her fault than mine... or maybe just our incompatibility? I don't know and I have no idea how to act the next time I see her. Do we talk about it or ignore it? You always know what to say. I feel like you could yell at me and I'd feel better._

_Sincerely, help"_

Wow.

This would be a letter out of the ordinary even if it weren't for the fact that Ikki recognized the handwriting as Skoochy's, aka _the guy who'd gone out with her sister yesterday__._

…

She needed more information. Oh, how she desperately needed it.

The next morning Skoochy anxiously opened up the Republic Gazette, hoping his letter had been picked more than he could say. The Moonlight Punch Lady section took up a whole page and it was arguably the most popular page in the newspaper: anonymous gossip and other people problems paired with snark - what's not to love?

His eyes scanned the half dozen articles erratically, finally finding the reply to his:

_"Well, Help, looks like you've got yourself in a pickle. You just want to forget the thingy or whatever ever happened, but if you don't talk about it, it's just gonna hang over both of your heads like a big giant thundercloud spouting lightning at inappropriate moments, but it won't ever rain, so even though you'll have sunshine in your interaction with the girl, there won't ever be rainbows and you, buddy, you__need rainbows_. _So you could maybe try to blow that cloud away with a thing called 'communication' (look it up) and just talk about the thingy and why it happened. Honestly, it takes like five minutes and then you can go back to dreaming about smooching her and maybe even doing it, in which case I recommend ultra-romanticness. A first kiss between two people should be special and unique and magical so don't screw it up otherwise I will find you, kidnap you in your sleep, take you to a dungeon and force you to listen to all the speeches Tarrlok has ever made __over and over again_._ Now stop reading this and go see your girl."_

Well, if the Lady says so...

He approached the meditation section of the island with slightly shaky arms. It was a Sunday, so he suspected he'd most likely find Jinora there and he was right. She was sitting on an airball, eyes closed and the look of utter peace on her face. Perhaps he shouldn't have come; he didn't want to disturb her.

But before he could even think about turning back, Koko screeched loudly and Jinora's eyes snapped open.

"_Koko, how many times do I have to-! _Oh, hey, Skoochy."

"Hi."

Silence.

"So about the other night..." he started.

"Yeah, that was weird. I guess we're not very much in sync with each other."

"I suppose. Yet," he added, sitting down on the grass next to her, "Maybe we could... work on that? Spend a little more time together?"

"I'd like that," Jinora said, facing him, "Oh, and Skoochy..."

"Yeah?"

She planted a kiss right on his lips, heart beating at the speed of sound and a ringing noise in her ears.

"Just as planned," Ikki mused to herself, watching from afar with a grin on her face.


	2. Racers & Races

"Come on, come on,___come on__! No no_ _no_, make the turn, make the turn- ___what are you, an imbecile?_"

"Ikki, language!" Tenzin reminded.

"But, Daddy, he's totally not taking advantage of the new steering mechanism! If he drives like that in the race tomorrow, he'll get third place at best!"

"Third place is still very high," Jinora said, used to Ikki's explosions.

"For ___you__,_ maybe," Ikki said, "But Skoochy is the best driver in the league; I know because I've seen them all train and I made a chart and a bio and a bracket and I could make a fortune taking bets because I know exactly who will win and when, but now he's screwing it all up by ___burying his head in his butt__!_" she directed at the boy who was doing practice laps and gave her a "buzz-off" gesture.

"Ikki, ___language__!_"

"I'm sorry, Daddy, but this is sports and language is required, you do not understand," Ikki said, never taking her eyes off the track, "This is war and no war has ever been won by being polite and___oh my spirits, Skoochy, are you unable to push one single button when you turn?_"

The young man stopped in front of the audience stands in his next lap and balanced the Satocycle between his legs while taking off his helmet.

"Which cursed button do you mean?___There are no buttons!_"

Ikki flew down to the track and started fiddling with the vehicle's controls with a semi-annoyed, semi-curious Skoochy, the gust of wind blowing pages of the book Jinora had ___just_ put down to watch Skoochy ride.

"Oh, not again," she complained, trying to find the place she'd left off in the thick book about mechanics, "And you were worried about ___me_ being a troublesome teenager," she said, addressing Tenzin.

"She's not a teen yet. There is still hope."

"Yeah, about as much hope as Pabu has of lifting Naga," Meelo muttered in his sleep next to Tenzin.

"Meelo, I am trying to keep the illusion alive. Please don't shatter it."

"Oh, sure thing, Dad," he said and went back to snoring.

Ikki, having found all the buttons Skoochy needed, flew back to the stands and landed perfectly in her seat, bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"If he doesn't do it right this time, I'll kill him," she said matter-of-factly.

"Please do not murder my boyfriend," Jinora said in passing, ignoring her father's reaction at the word "boyfriend".

"Hey, guys, how's it going?" Asami said, approaching.

"We're great and awake, thank you for asking," Meelo said, up immediately and smiling as she laughed.

"And how's Skoochy doing?"

"I think he's got a screw loose somewhere," Ikki said, "I mean how is it to grasp the simple concept of basic dashboard layout?"

"Oh, the turning maneuver?"

"Yes,___ thank you!_" Ikki said, torn between being delighted that someone finally knew what she was talking about and furious that no one else did.

"Yeah, I've been trying to get him to use it for the last month. He has an intuitive talent for driving, but he has trouble combining it with the technology."

"You people ___know_ I can hear you, right?" Skoochy asked, still standing with his helmet in hands, fiddling with the dashboard.

"There will be a million billion people in the stands tomorrow, ___you better get used to the noise!_"

"Good, because that's all you are to me, Ikki! ___NOISE!_"

"Whatever! Now take your anger and spread it evenly over the the asphalt with the knife that is your Satocycle in a thick layer of victory and then slide over that layer like it's freaking ice like you're supposed to!"

"_Okay, fin-!_ Wait, what?"

"Ugh, just drive!"

He did just that, warming up the Satocycle on the long stretch of straight road.

"Come on, come on, come on..." Ikki muttered to herself, unaware of it, eyes completely fixed on the quickly leaving figure. Asami was focused too, somehow hoping that maybe today, after weeks of pestering, her adoptive brother might finally turn right. Meelo, of course, was looking wherever Asami was looking. Even Tenzin and Jinora were squinting, hearts beating faster.

"_YES!_" Ikki's scream pierced the silence, "Yesyesyesyesyes everything is how it should be, he's going to win tomorrow and he'll win the next time too and he won't have to feel guilty and everything will be rainbows and butterflies!" she squaled, hugging Asami, both jumping up and down.

Jinora settled for a small, pleased smile directed towards Skoochy when she knew he was looking and, with a slight blush, turned back to her book while Meelo joined in the hugging and jumping.

"All right, I guess should practice too," Asami said, still with a grin on her face.

"Did you work on your braking? You know you have trouble braking. Do you need me to show you the proper way to brake?"

"I'll be fine, Ikki," she said, laughing, "But thanks."

"Good luck," Jinora said.

"I know you'll be the bestest, fastest, agilest prettiest girl on the track tomorrow!" Meelo added.

"Sadly, I'll be the only girl on the track tomorrow. My cousin crashed last week and broke her arm and leg. She won't be able to drive for months, even with daily healing."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Asami," Tenzin said, ignoring Ikki's outraged gasp at how this could possibly be news to him, "Is there anything we can do?"

"I don't think so. Unless you know someone to keep her company; she'll barely be able to leave the house, crutches not working and all, and her family is away... Anyway, I'll go warm up."

"Hmmm..." Ikki thought to herself. Who was single, experienced around ladies and with a great bedside manner?

She grinned.

That evening Jinora and Skoochy were sitting in the Sato Mansion parlour, just having finished dinner, which wasn't sitting so well in the boy's stomach.

"You'll do great," Jinora assured him, "Even while Ikki was yelling at you she admitted you're the best driver in your age group."

"But what if I screw up? This isn't some kiddie race anymore; this is the real deal. If I don't make it into the top five, I'm out of the race. Period. And if I'm out of the race... I can't make Sami proud."

"Skoochy, listen to me. Asami loves you, no matter what. She wants you to do well, yes, but for ___your sake__._ She wants you to be happy and she believes that doing this makes you happy, so she pushes you to make yourself proud. The only one you can disappoint tomorrow is you."

"And Ikki."

"And Ikkil" she agreed, "She kind of threatened to kill you if you screw up her bracket-thing, by the way."

"Oh, good to know. One less reason to worry - if I lose, at least I won't survive to suffer through the humiliation. Did you see the article they printed today in the Gazette? I'm listed as one of the top drivers.___Top. Drivers._If I crash, how do I ever live that down?"

"You know what? Close your eyes," she said, "Close them. Now breathe deeply," she urged, watching the movements of his chest as he obeyed, "and forget that you have a race tomorrow."

"What?"

"No, trust me, it works. Pretend that today is just an ordinary day, that tomorrow will be even more mundane. Go about your business as usual, try to not even think about the race in passing. Keep breathing, Skoochy. Tonight, we're just hanging out, the two of us. We can talk about whatever. We can go see a movie. You can teach me that Earth Kingdom dialect you mentioned last week. I can teach you about the wildlife in Earth Kingdom. The only pressure is me getting home on time so that my father doesn't explode, just like usual. And tomorrow you wake up and get ready just like on any other day when you go to early practice on the race track. It's just another drive, nothing to fret over."

With those words, she kissed him lightly, trying to get as much reassurance to flow from her lips to his as she possibly could.

It seemed to be working.

"Hey, Bo," Ikki said, walking into his apartment as if it were her own the next morning on her way to the track, "So I was wondering: do you have a thing for beautiful rich girls who drive race cars, can take you in a fistfight, make mistakes, end up home-bound because of those mistakes and do stand-up comedy as a hobby?"

"I'm sorry, I think you must have me confused with someone who even has to answer that."

"In that case, would you be willing to go keep one such lady company while she possibly mopes around her house because she can't participate in the race she was training for for a whole year that she was considered a frontrunner for?"

"I could be convinced, yes."

"Okay, here's her address, be there in half an hour; she's been informed you're coming. Bring one of your board games, but not that new crap Monopoly, I mean, she's rich and you have a head on your shoulders, bring something interesting for her and maybe try not to talk about racing unless she brings it up first, which is very likely as that's her entire life, but I think she's also into pro-bending so you could maybe talk about that and I need to run, I'm already late; I assume I need to tell Skoochy you're rooting for him, correct?"

"Uh... yes."

"Okay, bye."

Ikki took her glider, which she hadn't even bothered to fold, and flew off in the general direction of the track. She loved the breeze on her face and was secretly harboring a wish to one day become a race-car driver herself. Even going at maximum airbending power, she could never achieve the speeds of a car and neither could her father, an airbending _master_. She wanted to go faster, it was in her blood. Although... even with all her mechanical knowledge, she was a little confused about why people couldn't just make cars that could fly, which would be her preferred method of driving, but even gravity-bound driving was a dream her family would surely frown upon.

Maybe when she was a grown-up like Asami and could make her own decisions, she would invent a car that could fly. Not like Aunt Lin's police dirigible which was really really big and needed a metalbender to drive it anyway or the air balloons she'd seen in Jinora's history books that were around in grandpa Aang's time, but actual cars that could fly based on science and steering and stuff.

Daydreaming about what such a contraption would look like, she nearly missed the giant billboard in the center of Republic City with the silhouette of the Moonlight Punch Lady plastered all over it.

"___What's the meaning of this?_" she shrieked, enormously glad that she was out of anyone's earshot, a hundred feet into the air.

This was not okay. She had never agreed to become some sort of... of ___mascot_ for the Republic Gazette. She had offered her services voluntarily, ___for free_, doing them a huge favor by getting their sales up (because she knew it was her father's favorite newspaper and it had been having a rough time) and then they do this without even asking for permission?

She made a high-pitched vibrating sound in the air, directed to where she knew Koko should be, a long-established signal for him to find her.

The first batch of races of the season were spread over that day with the oldest, more experienced drivers going first and then gradually the younger ones taking their place until finally, around noon, the youngest Satocycle racers would compete. It was a new category and the organizers were hoping fans would come for the older racers, but not leave in time for the newer ones and get invested in Satocycling as well.

By the time Ikki got there, having exchanged a few words with the Gazette's editor-in-chief (more like written a one-sided letter, but potayto potahto), Asami's race was halfway done and she was, predictably, in the lead, with only one other racer being a serious threat. The girl joined her family in the stands and screamed along with the hundreds of other fans. Meelo's throat was already sore, but he kept screaming, sounding like he'd just had a smoke. Tenzin's forehead was resting against his hand; Pema was watching the track avidly, but had fingers in her ears, same as Jinora. In essence, all was as it should be.

In another ten minutes Asami's race was over and she'd won by a lot. Nobody was surprised, really. Since they had another hour before Skoochy's race started, the airbender family scattered off in their separate ways. Meelo went to stuff his face at the foodstand, the parents to take a walk in the surrounding forest, Ikki to summon Koko to see whether there was a reply from the Gazette yet and Jinora to see Skoochy.

"Knock knock," she said, entering the waiting room, "How are you doing?"

"Freaking out. Sami won. Without even trying hard. How do I-?"

"Breathe."

"Right," he said, doing so, "Jin, it's not working. How can there be another hour left?"

"It'll be over in a minute. Just... remember that you are a good driver. As long as you do your best, there's nothing that can go wrong."

"Jin, when the guy said that in the movie we saw yesterday, he ___died_."

"All right, that was maybe a poorly chosen example. But what I meant to say was that you'll get through today and the next time won't be quite so bad."

They sat in silence for a while.

"Jin?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For, you know, everything. And being here while I'm freaking out."

"I'm happy to. It's my understanding that that's how relationships work," she said, smiling. He returned the smile, looking a little more peaceful.

"Whaaahh, okay. Breathing. In and out. In and out. In and-"

She kissed him. It was really the best way to shut him up and she quite enjoyed the feeling.

"Or we could just do that, yeah, I'm fine with that."


	3. Of Airbenders and Families

Jinora was standing at the base of Aang's statue, a place she frequently visited when sleep eluded her. There was just something so calming about looking at her grandfather - so mighty and grand and seemingly full of wisdom - that calmed her whenever she was uneasy. There was something utterly serene and powerful about his expression, the strength he must have had. Jinora wished she could have known him. She was on fairly good terms with his reincarnation Avatar Korra, but it wasn't the same. Judging from what people who had known both Avatars said, they were as different as fire and water.

She wished she could talk to him, to find out what he was like, or even what he _had_ been like. If only cameras had existed in his time... but no, the most she had to go on were a few paintings that looked forced, a couple of badly drawn sketches by granduncle Sokka and stories by her father and GranGran.

She sat on the rocks, looking up, and tried to read the statue's face, searching for movements that weren't there and could never be there. She wanted to imagine he was right there with her, that he knew all the answers. She hoped one day she would piece together enough information to make the fantasy seem like a reality. That she'd be able to know what he would have said even if her was not there to say it.

The girl had overheard a conversation between two Air Acolytes that day who talked about the continuation of the airbender race as being unlikely. According to them, it could only work for a few generations before people simply stopped having kids and the airbenders would die out. They had no doubt the Air Acolyte movement would continue as it was a great honor, but actual Air Nomads would cease to exist soon, especially seeing as how they'd all be related.

Jinora had never thought much about the issue. She had read so many books, absorbed so much knowledge, seen the way her father was desperate to pass on everything he knew to his children, likely the same way his father had passed everything down to him, but she had never truly realized that she was one of the last six airbenders in the world, one of whom was not Air Nomad and thus couldn't continue the race. She and Ikki talked about romance so very much, but neither had ever quite grasped that it was not only their wish to someday fall in love with someone they could live happily ever after and make pretty babies with, it was their _duty_. Maybe even scratching the "love" and "happily ever after" bits. It was their responsibility as airbenders to bear children, and they could not wait forever. They couldn't even wait as long as Daddy had because they were girls. They needed to find love soon.

Of course, Jinora was only thirteen and in her over-dramatization had exaggerated the situation quite drastically, a fact she was well aware of, but she could not get out the thought of her grandpa dying without knowing whether the teachings and ways of his people would ever be continued. How could he have felt? If he'd simply been born the last airbender, it probably wouldn't sting quite as much. After all, sometimes nations just go extinct; it happens. But according to the stories, Grandpa Aang had grown up amongst a whole fleet of Air Nomads, a working, healthy, happy community. To have spent a hundred years in that block of ice and wake up with your entire culture gone... she shuddered just thinking about it.

With a sigh, she figured it was probably time to go back to bed. She loved Republic City in the moonlight, though. It was so full of light and joy and adventure, not to mention the moonlight always made her feel welcome. She might be an airbender, but she had strong Water Tribe roots and the story of Princess Yue had been her favorite growing up.

She took out her glider and, with a wistful glance at the statue, returned home, where she spent the rest of the night dreaming about her Air Nomad utopia.

Breakfast was an unusually quiet affair the next morning. The youngest member of their clan wasn't allowed near the family table ever since an unfortunate incident involving a spoon, a fork and many, many seeds, but his excited chatter from across the room had long since turned to background noise. Instead, the usual chatter between the other five family members was gone. Meelo was half-asleep, a state he'd been a lot recently, Ikki was glaring at her bowl of soup with the fury of a thousand hurricanes, Jinora was still mulling over the repopulation issue and its significance in her relationship with Skoochy and the parents seemed to be having a lovers' spat.

"Dad, have you heard from Korra?" Jinora asked, unable to take the silence any longer.

"What? Oh, yes, I got a letter yesterday. She and Mako will soon be heading back to Republic City."

"Daddy, why didn't you tell us?" Ikki demanded, whacking on his fingers with her wooden spoon, "We are supposed to share information amongst ourselves and I think our honorary sister coming back after like a bazillion months away is kind of a big deal; I mean if I suddenly sprouted wings and didn't tell you and one day just jumped off a cliff and you'd see my glider and be scared out of your mind that I was going to die and you'd have to hold a funeral and stuff, wouldn't you have wanted me to tell you before I freaking jumped off the cliff and you went scared out of your minds? _Huh?_"

"Ikki, please do not compare a few months of separation to your possible death."

"Yes, Ikki, not seeing Korra is obviously a much worse ordeal," Jinora added, tired as always from her sister's over-the-top antics.

"Exactly, which is why Daddy _should have told us_," Ikki turned back at her father.

"You were all already sleeping when I got the letter and I didn't think it sufficient reason to wake you; clearly, that was an error in judgement."

"Clearly," Ikki agreed, "especially because we've been sitting at this table for half an hour in complete and utter zombie silence and you didn't even think to mention it now that we're all, I don't know, _conveniently awake?_"

"Ikki, if you'd be so kind and shut up, I'd really appreciate that," Meelo murmured from her side, head resting on his hands.

"I personally think I have a right to speak; this is a free city and this is _my_ household and it is late in the morning, Meelo, what are you even doing sleeping?"

"Ikki," Jinora said in a long-suffering tone.

"Oh, never mind; what did Korra say, Daddy? How has life in the Fire Nation been? Did they find Zuko's honor yet? Can they bend green fire now? Did they get to see the dragons? Did they break the no-dating pact and are getting married? When are they coming back? Tell me!"

"Oh, Ikki. The letter didn't say much; they should be back in a few weeks, you can ask them all your questions then."

"A few _weeks_? What am I supposed to do till then?

"Ruin the sleep of the people in Republic City; you're very good at that," Meelo said, sliding down to the sleep in his own lap.

"Oh, go back to bed then, if you're so tired. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go vent out my frustration with the people I'm supposed to call 'my family'," Ikki announced, "Don't bother me!"

Alone, she blew a few gusts of wind, but they did nothing to make her feel better, seeing as how airbending was traditionally a very peaceful and calm practice. Anger venting wasn't really a part of the deal like it would be with firebending.

Instead, she called Koko and took the day's Gazette letters from his sack. Nothing like a few love problems of total strangers to brighten her mood.

The first letter to be opened, however, was from her editor. She read it, still fuming from yesterday's reply and little gasps escaped her mouth as she ventured further down. The materialistic asshat actually didn't think he'd done anything wrong by plastering her icon all over the walls of Republic City, arguing that the silhouette was their design and the columns she wrote were technically their property, so they had no reason to ask permission.

Psh, right, no reason other than that she could withdraw her free, uncontracted services at any given moment and leave the newspaper to die as it had been steadily doing before The Moonlight Punch Lady came along. The only reason she hadn't outright quit yet was her now quite sizable fanbase and the regular letters coming from people not seeking advice, but rather thanking her for advice she'd already given, citing it as the savior of their relationships. Well, that and Republic Gazette being Tenzin's favorite newspaper, but after the last few conversations she wasn't even sure she wanted to do something nice for him.

Ikki quickly scribbled a harshly worded answer for the editor with a list of demands and proceeded to read the actual letters. The first few were business as usual, with a few interesting tidbits, but then handwriting she immediately recognized as Jinora's caught her attention. First Skoochy, now Jin... boy, these lovebirds sure had trouble working on their problems.

"_Dear Moonlight Punch Lady,_

_I'm not really sure why I'm writing. To be honest, I don't think this is something you can give advice on without having the full picture. Actually, I'm not sure you'd be able to help even if you did have the full picture._

_The thing is it's my duty as a member of my family to marry and have a family of my own, preferably a large one. It is non-negotiable and if I don't find a suitable partner by the time I need to have kids, I just might have to go into an arranged marriage, which is something I've always detested. I thought of myself as the sort of person to fall passionately, madly in love with the man of my dreams and live happily ever after. I can't imagine entering an arranged marriage, even out of duty._

_I'm still very young and it's going to be a while before anyone starts pestering me about marrying, but I just started to wonder... should I already start asking myself whether I see a future with every boy I meet? I am in a pretty great relationship with a boy I really, really like, but I'm not sure whether I'd be ready to have his kids. Does that mean I should start thinking about breaking up?_

_Sincerely,_

_still not sure why I even wrote this"_

Oh, Jin. You silly, silly girl. Ikki shook her head and got to work on her new typewriter.

**SCENE BREAK**

"Hey, Bo, how did your date with Asako go?" Skoochy asked, flinging the ball at Bolin's head the next morning.

"It wasn't a date, exactly, but, you know, we talked and had a bit of fun and did you know she can do magic?" Bolin asked, throwing it back.

"Yeah, that's, uh... kinda how she stole my heart."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought your heart belonged to Jinora?"

"Heh, well, we'll see. A heart can be in many places at once."

"Preaching to the choir, brother. Seriously, though she seems awesome. Are you sure she and Asami are just cousins, not sisters?"

"Pretty sure, yeah. They sorta both act like my mothers though, especially on the track. I mean, you'd think after winning three races in a row they'd ease off on the tutoring gig, but no, they both constantly give me pointers even though neither even drives a Satocycle."

"They might have a point, though, Skooch. Don't let the first places go to your head. The races will only be getting more difficult; cocky isn't the way to go."

"Bo, you didn't see me before the first race. I was anything _but_ cocky."

"Am I talking about the first race? No, I don't think so. I'm talking about right now and right now you might want to consider taking advice from, I dunno, the two drivers who have like tons more experience than you do and are offering it freely?"

"Honestly, I'd rather talk to Ikki. She pretty much has more experience than the two of them combined and speaks in a language more my speed. If you know what I mean."

"I really hope I don't."

"No, man! Ew. No, for your information, not everyone has the hormonal drive your 'Krew' did when you met," Skoochy said, relishing Bolin's immediate wince, "Jeez, Bo... she's like five years younger than me! What I meant to say was that she's so enthusiastic and persistent and relentless that, well, after a while it gets annoying and I use what she gives me just to shut her up."

"That's kinda mean. I love Ikki, don't you be mean to her!"

"No, Bo, that's her strategy," Skoochy said, chuckling, "Annoy into submission. Sort of tough love. It's super effective and she knows it."

"Oh. In that case, good for her. She's quite a genius, isn't she?"

"Yep. Not to mention she never confuses cars with Satocycles. They have quite a bit of difference, you know."

"That's what I've heard, yeah. Oh, by the way, I got a letter from Mako yesterday."

"Yeah? What did he say?"

"They should be home soon and they just might be taking someone home with them," Bolin said, winking.

"Who?"

"I... have absolutely no idea. He was being very vague. He's usually not that secretive. Ooh, maybe they're taking Fire Nation royalty and he can't say it because the letter could be intercepted and they could be attacked! Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Sure... if you lived a hundred years ago."

"You just don't understand the need for adventure. Pabu does, right, Pabu?"

The little fire ferret cocked his head to the side.

"Oh, yeah, Pabu is basically shaking with excitement. What crazy thing are you gonna do this time, eat a whole bucket of Water Tribe noodles?"

"That was _one time!_ Are you ever gonna let that go?"

"Psh, no. You've went noodling at least half a dozen times in the last year and it's been a great source of entertainment for us all. Speaking of entertainment, I have to go meet Jin. We're going skating," Skoochy said, dropping the ball and gathering up his things.

"I don't noodle _that_ often. I just have a naturally charismatic personality that is indistinguishable from a drunken adventure-seeker, that's all."

"Uh huh._ You're a bad idea!_" Skoochy mocked, chuckling.

"Okay, the next time Mako tells that story I'm gonna skin him, I mean it."

"Whatever Bo. See you tomorrow for lacrosse practice?"

"Sure, fine. I'll be here, having awesome adventures with Pabu and you're not invited."

"Have fun!" Skoochy yelled, walking away.

**SCENE BREAK**

Jinora ripped the morning newspaper from her father's hands immediately after he entered the dining room, anxiously flipping through the pages.

"Where's the fire?"

"Dad, I am an intelligent human being who follows everything important that goes on in the world; my need for a news source hardly qualifies as 'fire'."

"I think you got the wrong page there... honey."

Jinora only lifted her nose in response and went to the furthest table to read in peace.

_"Dear Not Sure,_

_Let me get this straight: you're in your early teens, probably in your first relationship. Confused and inexperienced, am I right? But answer me this: do you ever feel the pressure from your family? If you're young, I really doubt your relatives even want to think about you having kids at this point._

_My advice: forget about all this arranged marriage nonsense and your duties. Live a little for once. Make mistakes, make a whole basketful of mistakes. Stop worrying and enjoy whatever mix of sugar, salt and lemon life gives you. Just don't try to make lemonade. Lemonade is overrated. Lychee juice, try that._

_You don't have to decide right away who you're gonna marry. Heck, you don't even have to marry. Have you never heard of single moms who don't even meet the father? If all you need to do is raise a kid, do it and worry about meeting your soulmate later. You have your whole life to stress about that, don't do it prematurely. Also, don't frown you'll get wrinkles. You seem like someone who frowns a lot._

_Bottom line: stay with this boyfriend guy for however long you want to, then don't hesitate to dump his ass and lather, rinse, repeat (that's a saying from one of the companies that sells that new shampoo thing) until you find who you're looking for._

_Moonlight Punch Lady"_

Ikki watched Jinora from the corner of her eye, gauging her reaction carefully as it changed from anxiety to perplexity to curiosity and finally a small, quick smile.

"I'm going to go skating with Skoochy," Jinora said, handing the newspaper back to her father, "Don't expect me back before sunset."

"Can I come?" Ikki asked.

"It's kind of a date. Maybe some other time."

"Oh, oh, I know – I'll get my own boyfriend and we'll double!"

Jinora froze in her tracks, stunned by the sudden horrifying prospect of a dating Ikki. She and her father exchanged and terrified glance and she ran off before her little sister could freak her out even more.


	4. Icing on a Cake

Jinora and Skoochy met on the edge of a large, frozen lake, each having brought their own pair of skates. It wasn't that cold outside, Skoochy could've even sworn it was above freezing temperature, but somehow the lake always stayed frozen even in the summer heart, with piles of snow guarding it. A legend said that spirits of those troubled were trapped underneath and it would always be frozen to prevent them from infecting the world until the dying day when they would be released to usher the living into the next world. Another legend said that two lovers had experimented with chemicals, trying to end the Hundred Year War, but the concoction they accidentally came up with turned everything into ice immediately and permanently. They were unable to find a cure even with a large amount of waterbending, so eventually they decided to pour it all into the lake to prevent it from being used for war and thus not hurting anyone.

Jinora didn't know which theory (of those and all the dozen other ones) she preferred, but all she really needed to know was that this was the safest lake for skating at all times, so without further thought, she generates a massive gust of wind that blew every last snowflake off the ice and then brought the clouds down to use their water to smooth the ice using sharp cuts of airbending.

Meanwhile, Skoochy set up dozens of wind chimes in the nearby trees to have music while being on the ice and couldn't help but sneak in a glance at his girlfriend, working her air magic all graceful and masterful. She really had quite a way with air and gravity and even though he'd known her and her family for three years, he still couldn't figure out how airbenders were so much more graceful than benders of any other element or why Jinora was the most graceful, even more so than her father.

When everything was ready, they put on their skates, ready for some fun, and, to Skoochy's surprise, Jinora was having some trouble figuring out how to put them on properly. He helped her tighten the laces and tuck everything where it was supposed to be tucked and then stepped onto the ice.

For him it was familiar ground – his old orphanage had been right by a pond which froze over in the winter and when the children were forced to spend time outside, skating was really the only thing to do. The few earthbenders among them had fashioned uncomfortable skates for the whole group and they'd learned through trial and error. It was a skill that had helped Skoochy when running errands for some of the gangs much more than his almost nonexistent earthbending moves. He had never had time to practice in the orphanage or when out on the streets and by the time Asami had adopted him he was so used to the nonbending lifestyle that he didn't want to spend years trying to fix what wasn't broken.

For her, however, even standing up seemed in the field to be a problem. She had never gone skating and even though she was an airbender, she was used to her feet planet firmly on the ground. When they weren't, they did not touch the ground at all and she could use her bending to manipulate the air around her and fly. This time there was no use for bending, but she was supposed to use foot maneuvers to fly while staying earthbound? The concept was ridiculous. People were either flying or they weren't. They were either in the air or flatfooted. This middle ground was very unusual for Jinora; she didn't like things weighing her down while she tried to fly (thank god Meelo had grown out of that habit).

Skoochy helped her get onto the ice, thinking that she'd get used to walking on blades in the amount of distance needed to get there, but the moment her skates touched the ice she slipped out of his hands so fast he couldn't even attempt to catch her before her backside was getting intimately acquainted with the patch of ice.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, helping her get back up – namely supporting almost her entire weight.

"Yeah, just peachy. How do you stand on these things?"

"Just try to imagine nothing is slippery and you're doing an exercise for... I dunno, some airbending thing where you need to maintain balance."

"Not working, Skoochy."

"Look, close your eyes. Imagine you're floating. Feel your body seek the balance. You're the most graceful person I know, Jin. You can do it."

"How do I put my feet?"

"Just like you would standing. Get used to the new gravity force and you're good to go."

He helped her get steady and after a couple minutes and many deep breaths, she could stand on her own. Her legs still felt a little wobbly, but she could sense the new point her body was connected to the ground and adjust. Just like Skoochy said, it was all about adjusting balance.

Growing confident, she took her first step... and fell flat on her face.

The next hour was comprised of Skoochy tirelessly helping Jinora up after falling, showing her the basics of skating and wondering how on earth this was giving her any trouble. Now that he thought about it, he had never seen Jinora be anything but elegant. No matter what the girl did she practically exuded grace. She was the only person he knew – including her own family – who ate Water Tribe Noodles without spilling anything anywhere and not making monstrous expressions while doing it.

Now, looking at her repeatedly embarrass herself on the ice and yet not giving up, he figured there were a whole lot of layers to Jinora had yet to uncover and his heart raced in anticipation.

"Hey, are you able to stand still?" he asked, getting a sudden idea.

"Um, I think so. Why?"

"Hold on tight," he said and took her hands, starting to skate backwards and stringing her along with him. All she had to do was keep her knees locked and enjoy the feeling of wind blowing in her face as she flew on the ground.

He spun them in circles and went faster and faster the more time went by until Jinora tentatively started moving her legs as well. With him bringing her along and her moving forward on her own, they achieved new speeds and in a short time she got the hang of it. He let her hands go one by one... and she continued skating. Her eyes widened and for a moment he was terrified she would trip from the sheer shock, but she held steady. She started looping, then twirling and a giant smile got plastered on her face.

They skated together for hours, circling each other and eventually ending up dancing, sort of. Neither knew what kind of dance it was, exactly, probably one that didn't exist, but it felt good and was perfectly in tune with the wind chimes. They continued until they were both exhausted from the exertion and very pink in the face from the cold.

Since the cold only applied to the lake, the grass a few dozen yards away was perfectly green and there they set up a picnic of sorts. Laying on the blankets and drinking lychee juice, they talked about whatever came to mind, from the color of the sky to Skoochy's future as a racer to Jinora's mild annoyance with Ikki to the days of the week both were born in to... well, everything.

Before they knew it, the sky was getting crimson and their game of seeing shapes in the clouds got a whole lot more beautiful. Jinora pressed her lips to Skoochy's when she saw what she thought looked like a heart symbol and he secretly wondered whether she was cloudbending from afar.

But then again, he didn't really mind. If there was a paradise, he was fairly sure kissing Jinora under the setting sky in the middle of a meadow came pretty close.


	5. In Anticipation

Jinora lay in her bed, eagerly awaiting the next morning. It was better than a birthday present, really, the news that Bumi was coming. Korra and Mako too, of course, had been missed dearly, but Republic City was their home, whereas her favorite uncle visited very rarely.

Their personalities were so different it was a miracle they could stand each other at all, Ikki being the more logical choice for his favorite niece, but somehow two whole bags of crazy was a bit too much and one needed to be replaced with reason to balance the other out.

He had been her favorite family member ever since she could remember herself. Growing up in the last airbender family, a large emphasis was put on the ability to bend and pass down the cultural teachings of the Air Nomads to future generations; maybe a little too much. Bumi's non-bender "you only live once" laid-back attitude had always been a nice break from all the seriousness in Jinora's life, a chance to drop the shackles and do whatever struck the fancy.

Of course, it was for this particular reason her father wasn't too happy about his brother's visits, muttering something about bad influences and "how are we even related?", especially after that incident when she was seven. To this day she was convinced Tenzin had scolded his much older brother more than her.

Regardless, she was very excited about him coming. He wouldn't be able to stay for more than a few days, as usual, but she was determined to make the most of that short time. She had already cleared her schedule, informed Skoochy of her probable unavailability and done her chores in advance, ensuring an uninterrupted quality time with her godfather. Well, interrupted only by her siblings. But two bags of crazy couldn't last very long in a single room and her brothers were too young to properly appreciate Bumi's genius, so she doubted they'd be a problem.

With a heart beating to the rhythm of some new dance track quietly playing in the next room, she tried to calm herself down enough to go to sleep. After all, she couldn't spend the next few days in a sleep-deprived state, could she?

* * *

Skoochy rounded the corner for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Sun was just rising, illuminating the road before him better than the streetlamps did, but otherwise it only served to remind him that he'd been on the race track for the better part of a whole night and still couldn't get the damn maneuver to work.

He'd come in third place in the last race. As far as he was concerned, he'd completely lost.

He needed to be perfect on the next one, he needed to make Sami proud. Of course a nice pile of cash wouldn't hurt so that he could pay her back at least some of what fortune she'd poured into his education in the last two years, but mostly he needed to prove to her that he was worth it. Which Jinora had assured him repeatedly was a dumb and unnecessary thing to prove, but it wasn't about whether Sami considered him worthy – logically speaking, she probably wouldn't have taken him in if she didn't -, but more about whether he considered himself worthy of her. And right now the answer was no. He needed to do better, he knew he could.

So he rounded the corner again and again until it seemed like everywhere he looked the road was taking a sharp turn. That was the sign he'd had enough for one day, so he switched directions mid-lap and drove home to the Sato Mansion. He rarely took his Satocycle out of the track property out of fear of damaging it (that and the other drivers not being very friendly towards it yet), but at this time of night (or should he say, morning) when most of the city was just stirring, he had no patience for walking.

Carefully parking the cycle in the parking lot, he made his way upstairs and fell into bed without bothering to remove his racetrack clothing.

He slept like the dead, exhausted from his impromptu mega-long training session, but that wasn't explanation enough for why he saw white frills the moment he woke up around noon.

A small stirring next to him made him jolt, thinking he might've been kidnapped, but it turned out just to be Asami, who was also just waking.

He must have confused rooms in his post-corner state.

"Hey, Skooch. What's cracking?" she asked, yawning.

"Oh, nothing. What's up with you? I know why I'm just getting up, but why are you?"

"What? Oh, I, uh... I had a few errands to run."

"All night?"

"Yes. And also there was someone I had to meet. No big deal," she said, "Now, I don't mean to pry, but what are you doing it my bed, brother?"

"I honestly have no idea. I could've sworn nobody was in it when I fell asleep."

"Maybe you're sleepwalking."

"I think you would've noticed by now, sis," he said, smirking, "Anyway, who were you meeting?"

"Not important. But it's a good thing I'm up now; Mako and Korra are back today! I'm going to Air Temple Island to welcome them. You should come too."

"Maybe I will. Although I don't think it'd be much fun for me since Jin explicitly said I was to stay away from her as long as Bumi's in town."

"I think you've forgotten she's not the only person you can talk to."

"Nah, she's just the most interesting one."

* * *

Iroh had been many things in his life – son, brother, leader, bender, legacy, strategist, etc. -, but when it came to the matters of the heart, he was as lost as a regular bear anywhere outside of Ba Sing Se.

His duty to his family, people and career had always come first, knowing full well that he had his whole life ahead of him to search for romance. But lately... something was different. He had met her more than several times on his visits to Republic City, both before and after the battle with Equalists, never really giving her a second thought. He'd seen her mature from a slightly awkward teenager with a passion for cars to a confident young woman who knew her way around a battlefield and didn't compromise her beliefs. From a simple accessory to her father who ran in the same circles as he did to a headstrong person of her own, dependent on no one.

Now that he thought about his impression of her, he could analyze all these things he'd seen but never noticed. However, he wouldn't have thought about it at all if not for Korra and Mako. On their three-month trip around the Fire Nation, the two talked about life in Republic City quite a bit, including their friends. Sometimes they would talk as they fell asleep and Iroh would listen in, his own eyes slowly closing. And then he'd dream of her in some ridiculous situation, realize it was a dream and curse himself for thinking about her right before sleep time.

He couldn't help it, though. Putting the pieces in place on the puzzle that was Asami Sato was a challenge he couldn't refuse.

He had barely talked to the woman, really. A few polite words here, a few shared drinks after a big fight there, nothing more than that. Truthfully, he doubted whether she even knew him by face (by name, he was quite popular, though). They didn't know each other. At all.

But the more he'd heard Mako and Korra mention her in a casual conversation, the more he'd begun to think that perhaps getting to know her wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

His schedule had opened up recently and he was looking forward to spending the next few months in Republic City, a place he'd been to often, but never really seen or explored. Perhaps it wouldn't be the only thing he'd get to explore.

He let the wind ruffle his hair as Korra took him, Mako and Bumi across the water with her bending, approaching Air Temple Island with alarming speed.

* * *

Asami stood at the edge of a small gathering of trees, watching Ikki and Skoochy have a contest of who could climb higher (using no bending whatsoever), wondering if she would participate. She was considerably older and bigger than either of them, but she was also a fairly skilled climber, having spent all her childhood in the backyard.

Soon Pema joined in as well and the two had a good laugh when the climbers got a little stuck. Their giggles echoed all over the island and Jinora, a few hundred yards away, felt the need to shush them; she was trying to use her soundbending to hear any signs that Uncle Bumi would be coming, after all.

No sounds indicated that, however, so she suppressed that urge and went back to squinting her eyes instead.

When Jinora's excited squeal ripped Asami from her climber-watching, her heart jumped. As did her entire body. They were here; they were back. With Mako and Korra back home, they could finally be The Krew again. As much as she liked Bolin and loved racing, something just wasn't the same when half the group was gone. Not to mention that Korra was her best friend. It seemed like an eternity ago when they'd had a few petty squabbles over boys and differences of opinion (and that whole thing where her father turned out to be evil), for now she couldn't imagine life without Korra in it. Actually, she could – had already lived it – and it sucked.

Pema said Bumi would be coming too. Asami had never met him, but she'd heard lots of stories and couldn't wait to meet the man – if only to see whether he was as charming and eccentric as he was portrayed to be in the tabloids and gossip. Really, he was practically an urban legend by now. Even Moonlight Punch Lady had taken a jab or two at the popular misconceptions in a recent edition of the Gazette (though differentiating between truth and misconception was no easy task in this case either).

But even more than wanting to meet Bumi, Asami was concerned about the fourth traveler. Only she knew General Iroh would be with them, due to Korra's secret telegram, and she had to admit she was slightly nervous.

Really, she didn't even know the guy. But for years and years they'd been circling each other at various functions and important events, almost crossing paths, but always not quite. As such, he was a man of mystery. Sort of. She knew his general background and basic stuff about his life, but that was it. And, dammit, Asami liked solving mysteries.

It didn't hurt that his cheekbones seemed to be made of steel either. Or that his eyes were pure gold and his voice rang with the authority of a Fire Lord and two Avatars in his blood.

All that together amounted to a crush on a stranger she had had since she was fifteen. She wasn't proud of it and sometimes she wished she could just make it go away, but it was the truth. And another uncomfortable truth was that the moment Korra's telegram had reached her, she had penciled in the date and time to go down to the landing field to get a close look uninterrupted. In the dark. Alone. Predator-like.

Which sounded creepy, she had to admit, but it was done with good intentions. She could never get a good look at him in public, because someone was always staring at her. And it had been two years since they'd last been in the same room together; he had to have changed.

He had, indeed. Longer, shaggy hair, a less stuffy style, a bit of a stubble... and she realized her crush was not going anywhere anytime soon.

Curse him.

* * *

Ikki got out of her tree-stuck predicament by airbending herself down and, after a little internal debate, Skoochy too. Technically she'd still won because no bending was allowed in the direction of "up", but the rules they'd come up with didn't say anything about using bending to get down. And she'd been a good ten feet above him when they go stuck too.

After claiming her winnings – a coupon for 10 hours of rambling without grumbling on his part -, she flew over to where Jinora was greeting the visitors, hugging them all one by one as if she had never seen them before. Ikki had never realized how tall her sister had become, having already surpassed Korra in height and already approaching Iroh. She wondere when her growth spurt would kick in. She couldn't wait to be tall and strong and pretty and womanly like the other women in her life.

Speaking of pretty and girly, Asami, standing to the side, was looking even more beautiful than usual and trying to casually smooth her hair. That was very out of character, so Ikki looked around for a good while, searching for the reason while greeting everyone automatically. Finally, she caught Asami's glance up and traced it back to Iroh...

...who was doing the same thing with Asami.

She took a step back and observed the two from a distance, both very attractive awkward turtleducks. Could it really be? Could a couple she had rooted for since she'd known both of them really be interested in each other? What's even better, could they be oblivious to each other's interest?

Forget Jinora's obsession with Uncle Bumi, this was the real impromptu birthday present. Cracking her knuckles and licking her lips, Ikki took a step forward and got to work.

* * *

By the time the day was over, two vases had been destroyed, five Heimlich maneuvers had been performed on people laughing too hard for their own good, the whole Air Acolyte community had been informed of the ongoings in the Fire Nation and Iroh had somehow ended up being invited to the Sato Mansion to live for the duration of his stay.

Asami had been opposed to the idea at first, but a few nudges in the direction of frequent toplessness and romantic talks by the firelight had changed her mind. Similar tactics were used on him and in the end, everybody seemed to be happy.

Ikki knew it wouldn't last for long, but she was determined to enjoy it while it did and to make sure others enjoyed it too. Because, dammit, love was in the air. And if Jinora was taking a break from being all lovey-dovey with Skoochy because of Uncle, then Ikki needed some new toys to play with.


End file.
